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to
the History of
The Hoekstra Family
ORIGIN OF THE HOEKSTRA NAME:
Hoekstra
(pronounced HOOK-stra) is a
Frisian name that means "from the
hook" or "from the corner". Frisian
is the language spoken in Friesland, a province of the Netherlands.
Comprised of the northwestern portion of the Netherlands mainland, along with a
major portion of the Frisian Islands (a chain which extends from the
Netherlands into Germany), this province is populated by an ethnic people whose
language and customs are more closely related to the English than the Dutch.
Flag
of the Province of Friesland
Friesland united with the
other independent lowland provinces to become the Republic of the Netherlands in
1648. However, in 1806, the country was made a satellite state of France,
with Napoleon's brother Louis as king. In 1813, after Napoleon's defeat,
independence was won. It was during the years of French rule that the
citizens of the Netherlands were required to take a surname for the purposes of
French governmental records and a census, taken in 1811. Before this time,
the Dutch normally used the European common system of patronyms, i.e. surnames
derived from the father's name. A typical name could be Jan Martens, which meant
"Jan, Marten's son". Females used the same system; Gretje
Martens
meant "Gretje, Martin's daughter".
 When
Dutch citizens were required by the French to take a surname, many chose their profession, the name of their city or
village, or a physical description name - either of the area in which they lived,
or a personal description. There are several possibilities as to why my
ancestors chose the name Hoekstra. It is possible they may have lived at a
crossroads (corner). It is also possible that their ancestors originated
from the "Hoek of Holland" (see map). Thus, it is important to realize that all people with
the surname Hoekstra are probably not related, even if they were from the same
village or county. The suffix "-stra" is Frisian, and is used in
place of the Dutch prefix "van", with which most of us are familiar.
MY EARLY HOEKSTRA
ANCESTORS
The earliest documentation I have found of
my Hoekstra ancestors is on a marriage index recording the marriage of Marten
Liewes Hoekstra to Fokeltje Jans Haan in the county of Westdongeradeel,
Friesland, the Netherlands on 14 November 1820. This information tells
me that Marten's father was named Liewes; he is the earliest Hoekstra ancestor
for whom I have a name. My estimate is that Liewes was probably born
around 1750 - 1770. The marriage record index unfortunately does not
give the age of either Marten or Fokeltje, so my best estimate is that Marten
was born around 1790 - 1800. Marten and Fokeltje had a son, Jan Martens
Hoekstra (my great-great-great-grandfather), who was born in 1820 in Westdongeradeel; in 1851, Jan was living in
the city of Holwerd, which is in Westdongeradeel. That year, he married
his first wife, Pieterke VanTil, in Ulrum, Groningen, the Netherlands.
Groningen is the province that borders Friesland on the east.
Apparently, Jan settled in Ulrum until his emigration to the United States in
1867.
THE HOEKSTRA FAMILY IN
AMERICA
In 1867, Jan Martens Hoekstra, recently widowed, emigrated
with his 15-year-old daughter from Ulrum. They left the Netherlands from
the port of Rotterdam on the Prussian ship Arnold
Böninger, and arrived in New York City on 11 June 1867 to settle in Holland, Ottawa
County, Michigan. Holland was a city of
Dutch expatriates seeking religious freedom and a better economy. They had
settled the area under the leadership of Pastor Albertus C. Van Raalte of the
Christian Seceded Church, of which Jan was a member. He married a widow, Grietje (Jonker) Dekker,
who had three children from her previous marriage, and together they raised
two more children to adulthood. They lived in the
Holland area until the 1880's, when Jan
removed to Muskegon County until his death in 1909; his son Martin moved to
Grand Rapids, Kent County, Michigan,
where many of his descendants live today.
To Choose an Ancestory,
Click on One of the Hyperlinked Names:
Looking for information on a
different Hoekstra than those listed above? Do a search on my online
database at WorldConnect!
 
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